MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Middle Point Landfill has committed yet another environmental violation, and Murfreesboro residents continue to send odor complaints regarding the landfill to the city.
According to the City of Murfreesboro, Middle Point Landfill has received seven environmental violations within the past year. The most recent violation, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, was regarding leachate — or liquid that drains from a landfill — entering dry run-off ditches on both the landfill property’s east and west sides.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (Fox17) — City officials have announced a new round of Clean Air and Clean Water Act violations against the landfill, following what they describe as a troubling pattern of environmental noncompliance and a surge in odor complaints from nearby residents. According to the city, the Middle Point Landfill has now received seven environmental violations within the past year.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — In Rutherford County, the fight over where Tennessee’s trash goes is reigniting.
Local leaders said corporate influence is threatening a decades-old law that allows counties to decide what gets built in their own backyards.
Another environmental violation has been documented at Middle Point Landfill, marking the seventh time this year state inspectors have cited the site for compliance issues.
Rutherford Forward tells us there were leachate outbreaks found at the landfill earlier this month.
The Middle Point Landfill is under increased scrutiny after state inspectors flagged multiple environmental violations including the most recent in September. According to state environmental records, issues were also reported in March, June, and July, raising concerns among both local leaders and residents.
Veterans in Rutherford County are speaking out about the overwhelming stench coming from the Middle Point Landfill, saying it’s not only affecting their neighborhoods but also following them to the VA hospital.
The City of Murfreesboro is officially headed to court after rejecting a proposed settlement with the operators of Middle Point Landfill, a site that has long been at the center of environmental and public health concerns. After months of negotiations, the Murfreesboro City Council voted this week to turn down the deal from BFI and Republic Services. The proposed agreement would have required the companies to install treatment systems to reduce PFAS, or “forever chemicals," and to implement a new plan to monitor odors and groundwater around the landfill.
For years, Middle Point Landfill and area leaders have been ideating trash disposal solutions.
Exclusive video obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates shows how gases escape the Middle Point Landfill in Rutherford County. Some say those gases are making the notorious odor that's plagued the landfill for years even worse.
After years of public frustration and legal battles, the Murfreesboro City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to annex the Middle Point Landfill into the city limits. The landfill, long a point of contention in Rutherford County, has drawn widespread criticism from nearby residents over odor, truck traffic, and environmental concerns. Many have pushed for more oversight and accountability from city leaders.
The fight over Middle Point Landfill is not over, Murfreesboro City Council, rejected a proposed settlement with the landfill's operators.
Murfreesboro government notified Middle Point Landfill about more solid waste environmental violations, the city reported Oct. 27.The violations include leachate entering dry run-off ditches, according to the city. "The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued the most recent violation due to leachate entering dry run-off ditches on the east and west sides of the landfill property," Murfreesboro government spokesman Mike Browning said in a news release.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued Republic Services’ Middle Point Landfill a notice of violation for leachate entering the facility’s runoff at the end of September, WZTV reported. It’s the landfill’s seventh environmental violation since March, according to the outlet.
The Middle Point Landfill in Tennessee has received another environmental violation, being the seventh time the site has been cited for compliance issues this year. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) conducted an inspection and found that leachate was entering dry runoff ditches on both the east and west sides of the property. Previously, a similar issue was discovered on the southern side of the landfill and was corrected 20 days earlier.
They say good fences make for good neighbors. While that may be true in some respects, I believe it takes a bit more. Values like honesty and integrity beat a good fence anytime. During the July 31 Murfreesboro City Council vote on a proposed settlement with the owners of Middle Point Landfill (Republic Services and BFI Waste Systems), there was a lot of talk about “good neighbors.” Even Middle Point's own website claims the company “strives to be a good neighbor.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/despite-promises-middle-point-landfill-100820794.html
The Murfreesboro City Council rejected the proposed settlement agreement with BFI Waste Systems and Republic Services related to the environmental impact of Middle Point Landfill at its July 31 meeting. The proposed settlement would have applied only to the landfill’s impact on air and water quality, not Republic/BFI’s desire to expand, according to a news release from the City.
In a separate vote at the meeting, the city council unanimously passed a resolution opposing any expansion of landfill capacity. That resolution includes expanding horizontally onto the closed Rutherford County landfill property or vertically, increasing the height to lengthen its lifetime.
https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/murfreesboropost/murfreesboro-rejects-landfill-settlement/
The Murfreesboro City Council agreed to annex Middle Point Landfill July 17 after all 10 public hearing speakers urged annexation. Annexation will give the city government a "seat at the table" to hold Middle Point accountable regarding better approaches for solid waste, such as recycling, suggested Candida Layne, a Murfreesboro chairwoman of the local chapter for SOCM (Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment).
The proposed expansion of Middle Point Landfill faced opposition recently from seven out of 10 public comment speakers. Residents shared their views on the landfill expansion issue during a March 4 Rutherford County Commission Public Works and Planning Committee meeting. Shawn McGowan of north Murfreesboro questioned why county commissioners would want to allow Middle Point Landfill to expand for 50 more years.
The Calvert Street Group came under fire this week when Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland accused the prominent Nashville public relations firm of impersonating Murfreesboro residents at a town hall. Calvert was hired by waste management company Republic Services to advance a proposed expansion of Murfreesboro’s Middle Point Landfill, the latest chapter of Rutherford County’s ongoing trash drama.
A few Rutherford County Commissioners expressed strong differences of opinion regarding the proposed expansion of Middle Point landfill during the recent Public Works and Planning Committee meeting. Committee chairman Anthony Johnson and commissioners Craig Harris and Mike Kusch heatedly sparred over the future of the landfill this week.
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